Ham press



Nov. 14, 1933. C, BUTZ y 1,935,015

HAM :PRESSv Filed July 11.1931

ATTORNEY i HAM'PRESS'Y l n f 'Clarence'utm Muscatine, Iowa .i Application July `11, 1931.V` l, Serial No. Y. 550,195

Y Y 2 Claims. .,'(Cl.k 100-57) i My invention relates toimp'rovem'ents in ham plate 10. Tha'ty end of 'the container opposite presses of the type Set forthinmy prior Patent theV end plate 10 is open. 'Ihe container is pref-j 'No. 1,792,411, 'Feb. 10, 1931,'"and l.it consistsvin erably made`of metal, and inthe present emthe combinations, vconstructions and arrange-v` bodimentpas shown inFigure 3, it is of rectangu- 5 Amentsherein described andf'claimed. f s lar cross section. y The walls 6 and 7, as will be 60 -In said prior patent Ij"disc lose d a 'container' seen from Figures`3 and V5 have .V-shaped flange havingja presser head acted; upon by ja' spring, portions such as those' shownl at (iai and 7are` the opposite end of the spring. beingconnectedi spectively. The walls are provided with. recesses- Witha `pressure plate. In said prior application '6P and7Frespectivelyiarranged,to receive -the V- the device had a seriesofrsprings disposed on shaped extensions lOofthe-plate 10; This latter (55'A the outside connected with teeth on the inside plate has a tongue 10?,"which is arranged to enof the container, which teeth were engaged by ter an opening 8a in thewall 8. The cover 9 has the pressure plate and were forced aside against iianges 9at having recesses arranged to receive the spring tension but which prevented a retrac- -the V-shaped iianges o2L and 7a. As will be seen tive movement as the teeth were cleared sucrfrein Figures 1 and 2, the Sides 6 and 7 are prO- 7o cessively. r v y vided with slots 11` near the upper edge of the An object of my invention is' to provide a ham container. Y y press having a smooth surface on the outside Apressurev plate 12 iSprOVided,V having thickas well as on the inside, thus facilitating the cned end portions 12a that are arranged to ,i `washing of the container.` i Y bear on the interior walls of the container. As 75V" A further object is to eliminate parts, such Will be seen from Figure 3, this plate has ribs as the springs and teeth of the prior patent, thus 12? .Which provide vgllideWeS/Sffer Slidable latch rendering the device simpler-in construction'and bolts 13. The .latter are adapted to enter the Cheaper to build, slots 11, being pressed towardthe slots by means '2'5 A further object is to-provide a ham press in of a spring 14, Which Surrounds the redlleed p01'-r 80" which the pressure' plate is positively held against tiOn'Sef the belts 13. The latterv are prOVded retraction, but in which there are no projections with slots 13'EL arranged to receive lugs 15, which Y on the interior or exterior to out into the hands are integral with the pressure plate 12, so as'to from the Sharp edges, Y Y limit the inovementof the latch bolts, asshown A further object of the invention isY to proin Figure 3: StOpInernbeIS 12 1imit the mOVe- 85Y vide improved means for assembling the end and ment in the Opposite direCtiOn. A Cap plate 16k cover plates and for removing these parts` to ViS previded .for holding the` latch bolts 13 in facilitate-the removal of. the cooked ham. position, this cap plate being held to the ribs 12b Other objects and advantages will appear inY by means-of screws 16a.y Y M the following speciiication and the novel features f A presser piate'l' iS dSDOSGd in the Container 90 l of the invention will be particularly pointed out and a `Spiriti Spring 18 bears atV One end on the in the appended claims. presser plate 17 and at` the opposite endi on the My invention is illustrated in the accompanypreSSU-re p1ate'12. Y f Y ing drawing forming a part of this application, FrOm the 'feregoing description 0f the Various 40 vin which: parts of the device, the operation thereof may be 95! Figure 1 is a side View of the device, a portion readily llllderStOOd, Theplate 10 iS tted in p0- being broken away and shown in section; SitOn by placing the tensile 1Gb in the Opening 8a Figure 2 is a view at right angles to Figure 1, and the portions 10 and theslots or recesses 6b Na portion being broken away and shown in secand 7*reSpeCtiVe1y- The CompreSSiOn Spring 18 i5-tion; is inserted between the plates 17 and12. The Figure 3 is asection on the line 3 3v of Figham, with thebones rst removed, is placed in ure 2; Y the container betweenV the plates 17 and 10 and Figure 4 is a perspective view of an end plate; the cover portion 9 is then placedy on theconand tainer, thus locking the plate 10 in position. The

Figure Sis a perspective view ofy an end' of the container with the ham therein is now placed in container to which the end plateshowniin Figure the position shown in Figure 1 and pressureis 4 is applied. I l y i exerted on the pressure plate, thus tendingnto In carrying out my invention, I provide la concompress thespring 18. As the pressure plate 12 l-tainer consisting of side walls 6 and 7 respectivemoves downwardly as in Figure 1, the latch plates, 55 1y, a rear wall 8, a cover portion 9 and an end owing to their bevelled edges, will beforced inlf() wardly until they reach the next succeeding slot, when they Will spring outwardly again to prevent retractive movement of the plate. The pressure is continued until the ham has reached the desired compression. When this point has been reached, the container is then ready for a suitable cooking vessel or vat containing water, and the heat is applied in the usual manner. During the cooking of the ham, thespring 18 causes the plate 17 to press continuouslyV on-'the ham, and the ham is cooked in its own juices out of contact with the water.

When the ham has been cooked, thecontainer yis removed from the boiling vat. The cover 9 is slid off, thus freeing the plate Y10, which may be removed, and the ham taken from `the container. The pressure plate 12 mayV now be pushed until the latch bolts have cleared the slotsgll when the pressure plate may Vbe removed and replaced in its original position, after Washing and drying.

It Will be seen that the Walls of the container are smooth, thatis to say, there are no inwardly projecting members as in my prior patent nor outwardly projecting members on the exterior thereof. Therefore, there is no chance for such parts to cut the hands of the user and nochancc for the lodgment of grease.

l.. A ham press comprising a rear Wall, side walls, said walls being smooth .and unobstructed on the interior thereof, said side Walls having a series of slots near one end and being provided with outwardly projecting flanges on the edges thereof and having recesses on the interior extending into said anges near the opposite end of the container, the rear wall having an open-- ing in the same plane with the recesses, an end plate having extensions arranged to enter said recesses and a tongue arranged to enter the opening in the rear Wall, a cover plate having recesses arranged to receivethe anges on the side Walls, a pressure plate, a pair of spring-pressed latch boltsrcarried by said pressure plate and arranged to enter the slots in the side Walls, a presser plate, and a spring disposed between the pressure plate and the presser plate.

2. In a ham press, a rear Wall provided with an opening, integral side Walls, said side walls having outwardly extended V-shaped anges on their edges and being provided on the interior with recesses extending into said flanges and registering with the opening in the rear Wall, an end plate having a tongue 'arranged to enter the opening in the rear wall and having extended portions'arranged to enter the recesses in the'side Walls, and a cover plate having V-shaped recesses or grooves arranged to receive the V-shaped anges and adapted for sliding engagement with the latter vwhereby vthe end plate is 'securely locked in position.

A CLARENCE BUTZ.

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